


When Stars Align

by Im_Chamsae



Series: Robin Soulmate AUs [1]
Category: Batman - All Media Types, DCU (Comics), Nightwing (Comics), Teen Titans (Animated Series), Teen Titans (Comics), Teen Titans - All Media Types
Genre: Alternate Universe - Soulmates, F/M, First Love, First Meetings, Fluff, Happy Ending, Names, Platonic Soulmates, Romantic Soulmates, Soulmate AU, Soulmate-Identifying Marks, Soulmates
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-06-05
Updated: 2020-06-05
Packaged: 2021-03-04 01:08:12
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,523
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24545137
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Im_Chamsae/pseuds/Im_Chamsae
Summary: Dick Grayson learns the hard way that sometimes bonds can change, and that it is possible to have more than one soulmate in your life. It wasn’t unheard of, but it was rare.He also learns that it's apparently possible to have a non-human soulmate, and he was perfectly fine with that too.
Relationships: Barbara Gordon & Dick Grayson, Dick Grayson & Koriand'r, Dick Grayson/Koriand'r, past Dick Grayson/Barbara Gordon
Series: Robin Soulmate AUs [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1774687
Comments: 4
Kudos: 120





	When Stars Align

**Author's Note:**

> Takes place in a universe where soulmate marks can come in many different forms, and can appear at different points of people's lives depending on the individual. 
> 
> Richard John Grayson - Name soulmate-identifying mark.

At 13 years old, during the onset of his puberty, Dick Grayson finally got his soulmate mark. It had come in the form of a name, one that was very familiar to him.

_**‘Barbara Gordon.’** _

The words, dark and bolded in neat cursive script, were etched across the skin of his inner wrist.

His best friend.

He always suspected that there was something special about the redhead and now, it all suddenly made sense to him.

When he showed her his mark that had been tattooed across his wrist, he had seen the twinkle in her bright blue eyes as she excitedly pulled back the sleeve of her school uniform to show her own wrist, revealing to him a matching tattoo with his name on it. At that, they had both smiled.

They knew what their marks meant, they were romantic soulmates.

So, they gave in to their faiths and started dating.

For a while, it was great and they were happy.

Almost a perfect happy ever after.

Almost.

But as they both grew older, things started to change. People changed, and slowly, they drifted apart.

He didn’t want to admit it, but they were starting to crumble.

The cracks that had formed during the early years of their relationship, little things that they had brushed over and overlooked at first because they loved each other, each one came back to haunt them over the years, and it almost always resulted in an explosive argument. One that always left one of them hurt.

Yet still, they refused to let go of each other. Despite how tired of the fighting they both were, they did not break up because they both held onto the belief that things would eventually get better - at least Dick did.

It had to.

They were soulmates.

Faith had decided that they were destined to love each other no matter what, so he kept holding onto that little piece of hope.

  
But fate was a cruel mistress.

* * *

When Dick Grayson turned 17 years old, he felt his world come to a halt when he woke up to find that his soulmate mark had turned grey.

He felt his blood run cold.

He knew what it meant - it was over. Their romantic bond was over, and Barbara knew it too.

They had met later that day, at a party held at Wayne Manor. Their mood was grim, a stark contrast to the party around them. They left to the gardens, to get a sense of privacy. 

When they had finally sat down, just the two of them, there was just silence.

“So, it’s over then,” Dick was the first to speak, pulling down the sleeve of his dress shirt to reveal the changed soulmate mark.

Barbara followed in suit, bring hers next to his. The dark bold black that once symbolised their love had too faded to a pale grey on her skin as well. “I guess it is.”

They were no longer romantic soulmates.

It hurt, but in a way, it was expected.

“We’re still soulmates though, Dick,” she told him. “Just not the way we used to be.” She pulled her wrist away.

He didn’t speak.

“It’s not unheard of you know,” she glanced up at the sky, it was starting to get dark. Rain would be imminent. “It’s certainly rare but sometimes, romantic bonds can become platonic over time.”

“... then why didn’t it just appear as platonic from the start?” Whispered Dick, ‘Why did we have to go through so much pain and misery for it all to go to a waste in the end?’

“I don’t know, Dick. I really don’t know.”

And she meant it.

“We should head back inside. They’ve probably started wondering what happened to the birthday boy.”

“You go ahead first,” he couldn’t look at her. “I just need some time alone to clear my head.”

Barbara was silent for a moment but she nodded before turning away. “Don’t take too long, Dick.” She walked away.

With that, their romantic relationship was officially over.

It wasn’t long before news of their bond change was known to the public. And like most things Wayne family related, there was a lot of publicity surrounding their breakup. It didn’t exactly help either that he had tried to move on by diving into string of other relationships but none of them ever lasted very long.

All of it just didn’t feel the same.

When you’ve spent so long and invested so much into a relationship that you truly believed was meant to last, every other relationship that came after just paled in comparison to it. He felt as though he was stuck in a dark tunnel, one that he struggled to see a light at the end of, a way out.

Was this truly what fate had always set out for him since the beginning? Was he destined to live the rest of his life alone?

Because he sure as hell didn’t want to. He’s seen what happened to Bruce.

He didn’t want that for himself.

* * *

And as if the universe had heard his prayers, it was soon answered in the form of the new mark on his chest across his heart. A new soulmate mark.

A romantic one.

It had appeared on the morning of 19th birthday, two years since the end of previous one.

He had started the day grimly, the reminder of his breakup from two years ago hanging over his head as he walked to his bathroom to shower.

But much to his shock when he removed his shirt, there was a new mark etched across the skin of his chest, one directly over his heart. His blue eyes widened in stunned silence as he touched it. As the tip of the fingers grazed over the surface of the mark, a new wave of emotion washed over him.

‘It was real.’

He wasn’t hallucinating, it was real. He had another soulmate, a romantic soulmate.

For the first time in a long time, Dick Grayson cried tears of joy.

It was only later when he took another closer look for him to realise that the name written across his chest was not a language he recognised nor understood.

He had been tempted to use the computer in the Batcave to look up the name, but he resisted because he didn’t want to rush this one. He would leave it up to the universe this time, he would let his soulmate come to him when the time comes.

* * *

When a new alien crash lands in Jump City, he was one of the first people to respond.

It had been difficult getting close to her at first because of how hostile she had been to everybody that tried to come near here, but with a quick change of judgement and strategy on his part, he had managed to get close to her. He had managed to gain her trust, to show her that he was not a threat and that she didn’t need to be afraid of him. He had even offered to remove the shackles that were clearly binding her wrist together, something that he noticed she had been desperately trying to break free from the moment she arrived. He showed her his lock picker, something he held up in plain view for her to see.

She had looked at it curiously but she had let him come closer until he stood before her, undoing the binds on her wrist.

When they were unlocked, they dropped to the ground with a loud thud.

As his eyes drifted back up to look at her face, it widened beneath his mask at the name visibily etched across the skin of her chest.

His name.

_**‘Richard John Grayson.’** _

The alien noticed as she glanced down to see the mark on her tanned skin, she looked confused herself as she stared at it. 

He was about to speak, but she had cut him off by pulling him into a kiss.

For the second time that day, his eyes widened but he gladly accepted the kiss.

As she pulled away, she smiled down at him before speaking, her voice melodic and sweet. “I’m a Koriand’r of Tamaran, my kind can learn language through the act of kissing.” She told him before her eyes glanced back at the tattoo on her chest. “What is this? I have never seen it on my body before.” She asked, curiously as her finger lightly traced the name. "Richard?" 

He watched her, entranced but not so entranced that he couldn’t respond, “it’s a soulmate mark.”

“Soulmate mark?” she asked, curiously.

“It’s the name of your soulmate,” he told her before a smile crossed onto his lips, “my name to be exact, and I’m willing to guess that the name across my chest is Koriand’r in Tamaranean.”

When he had later showed her his own mark, she had confirmed that it was indeed her name, Koriand’r, in Tamaranean. At that, they both smiled.

At 21 years old, Dick Grayson was young, happy and in love again.

Now who said romances couldn’t be written in the stars?

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you for reading.


End file.
